Jennifer Hudson Prepares for Broadway Debut in ‘The Color Purple’

Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) will make her Broadway debut in a revival of The Color Purple, the musical version of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Hudson will play Shug Avery, the blues singer who befriends the beleaguered heroine Celie. The show will play a Shubert Theater to be announced in the fall of 2015.

Tony winner John Doyle (Sweeney Todd) will direct and design the production which he also presented at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory in the summer of 2013. The show will be co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, who starred in the 1985 film version.

The Color Purple opened on Broadway in 2005, also co-produced by Winfrey, and ran for 910 performances. LaChanze won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Celie.

Hudson’s fellow American Idol finalist Fantasia Berrino succeeded LaChanze during the end of the run.

Further casting for the new production will be announced at a later date.

About The Color Purple

Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson makes her highly anticipated Broadway debut in The Color Purple, starring as juke joint singer Shug Avery. British theater star Cynthia Erivo, who headlined the production during its acclaimed run at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory, will reprise her role as Celie. Danielle Brooks, who co-stars memorably as Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson on the hit Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, will play Sofia. Based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated film, The Color Purple spans 50 eventful years in the life of a remarkable young woman named Celie. Set in rural Georgia, this stirring and evocative musical follows Celie during a tragic separation from her beloved sister Nettie through the abusive relationship she endures with her husband Mister and the powerful lessons she learns once a strong-willed woman named Sofia enters her world. Sweeping and heartwarming, The Color Purple is a truly unforgettable theatrical event. Directing is Tony-winning helmer John Doyle. He’s known for his gorgeously stripped-down productions, where the actors and music shine through, and this new production of The Color Purple continues his elegant esthetic. The show features a book by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman (The Secret Garden, ‘night, Mother) and a score by Tony nominees Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. Run time Two hour and 20 minutes (one intermission) Good for kids? There are many adult themes in this show, including spousal abuse, which may be overwhelming for younger children. But older children who have read Alice Walker's novel or seen the movie and understand the emotional roller coaster they’re about to get on will embrace its themes of courage and hope. Did you know? The much-loved film version of The Color Purple marked the film debut of a Chicago talk show host named Oprah Winfrey, who scored an Oscar nomination for her work and soon rocketed to national fame when her TV series was nationally syndicated the next year. Danielle Brooks is a 2011 graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School of Drama. Her character in Orange Is the New Black was originally meant to appear in only two episodes during the first season, but she ended up joining the cast as a regular. Jennifer Hudson isn't the first American Idol alumna to appear in The Color Purple. The musical previously ran on Broadway from 2005 to 2008, and Fantasia Barrino joined the production as Celie towards the end of the run.